Joint speech and the rise of American fascism

Joint speech has been prominent in the ongoing rise of fascism in America. Trump’s rallies, both before and after his election, used chant as a means of group arousal and intimidation against those who were not minded to join in. The chants themselves have been simple and ugly. “Lock her up!” “Build the wall!” Far-right marchers have revived chants from the era of European fascism: “Blood and soil!“.

A new and troubling example has arisen from the internment camps where the American authorities are impounding asylum seekers, refugees, and undocumented persons, tearing families apart and housing children separately. In a grotesque twist, children are required to chant the Pledge of Allegiance every morning, allegiance to the authorities that have treated them so cruelly.